Reflecting on the catastrophic Australian bushfires of 2019-20 as we approach yet another fire season, Artereal Gallery presents Fossil Fuel – an online exhibition showcasing the work of Indigenous artist and activist, Jason Wing.
In the wake of COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, and with the fragile future of our planet in mind, this online exhibition interrogates the ways in which Australia has and continues to approach climate change, Indigenous land, and fire management in Australia.
With the onslaught of climate change as a result of Western consumerism, capitalism and our heavy reliance on the fossil fuel industry, Wing’s artwork is a call to arms. A call for change. A call for Australia to embrace and value Indigenous knowledges and cultural burning practices as an answer to effective fire management in Australia.
(To view and purchase artworks from this series, including pricing details, scroll to the end of this online exhibition page).
“The common thread throughout my practice is the everyday battle which Aboriginal people fight living in this colonial institutional framework. We fight for re-writing Aboriginal history that has been erased, destroyed, hidden and lost. We fight for equal human rights. We fight for our culture to be respected, valued and celebrated in a genuine way. We fight for equal rights socially, culturally, politically and economically.”
Jason Wing
Jason Wing challenges, protests and mourns Australia’s fraught colonising and Indigenous histories and the continuing impact of contested Country. His work unpacks the loss of the rich Indigenous traditions and cultural identities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Described by critics as “tough, necessarily blunt, yet often witty and lyrical, Jason Wing challenges dominant accounts of Australian history”. Jason Wing is a Sydney based artist who strongly identifies with his Chinese and Aboriginal Biripi heritage. With works held in the collections of many of Australia’s major cultural institutions, his art protests the loss of the rich traditions and cultural identities of his layered dual heritage and challenges prevailing perspectives of Australian history and settlement.
Calling into question our understanding of history and of our current socio-political reality, Wing repurposes everyday objects and imagery, creating works that are both visually confronting and deceptively simple.
Wing holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Graphic Design, Sydney Graphics College. He has exhibited nationally and internationally. Significant solo exhibitions include: People of Substance, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, Virginia, USA, 2012; Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre, Gymea, 2011; Tree Change, Arc One Gallery, Melbourne, 2012; and The Other Other, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, 2011.
$50 of the proceeds from the sale of each edition of Fossil Fuel will be donated to Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation.
Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation is an Indigenous led network and aims to re-invigorate the use of cultural burning by facilitating cultural learning pathways to fire and land management. It is an initiative for Indigenous and non- Indigenous people to look after Country, share their experiences and collectively explore ways to achieve their goals. For more information, visit their website.
All prices are in Australian dollars and inclusive of GST. Freight and shipping costs not included. Please contact the gallery for assistance with shipping. Prices are correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change without notice. For sales enquiries email: info@artereal.com.au
Fossil Fuel
cast resin, sand
dimensions variable
edition of 80: each edition contains 5 pieces
Previous Exhibition
